Influence of the potential energy surface on the reaction cross section: the K + HF → KF + H system Original Research Article

The effect of the potential energy surface on the K + HF → KF + H cross section has been studied using reasonable Sorbie-Murrell (bent saddle point) and LEPS (collinear saddle point) potential energy surfaces (PESs). Trajectory calculations for selected initial conditions (translational energies, rovibrational levels (v, J) of HF, as well as initial parallel or perpendicular alignments between the HF rotational angular momentum and the reactants relative velocity vectors) have been performed on these PESs to compare them with experiments. The Sorbie-Murrell and LEPS-4 PESs lead to steric effect ratio results quite close to the experimental ones, once the error margins are included. The resllts point towards a bent K-F-H saddle point although the PES is very isotropic. This could explain why experimental determinations lead to suggest a collinear saddle point. The K + HF → KF + H reaction exhibits an enormous vibrational enhancement of reactivity with one quantum HF vibrational excitation, even at translational energies well above the HF(v=0) threshold, where tunnelling effect contribution to reactivity can be neglected. This behaviour has not been reproduced in the trajectory calculations and no satisfactory explanation has been obtained for this fact. Nevertheless, the HF(v=1)HF(v=0) cross section ratio at translational energies not far from the HF(v=0) threshold and the relative cross section for HF(v=0) have been satisfactorily descibed. In what regards rotation, the best theoretical results are those corresponding to the Sorbie-Murrell PES (the cross section increases with J), although important differences with experiment appear for the J = 0–3 interval at the lower translational energy values considered (0.54 and 0.77 eV).